The Libertines On Prostitutes, Football And ‘How Pete Doherty Kidnapped Us…’

The Libertines are still 'unpredictable' as they discuss their summer on the road and triumphant reunion shows.

While it may have been one of the most anticipated reunions of the year, The Libertines are still proving to be as chaotic and unpredictable as they were in The Good Old Days. The cult band, consisting of frontmen and guitarists Pete Doherty and Carl Barat, along with drummer Gary Powell and bassist John Hassall, reunited this summer for a string of high profile festival dates across Europe.

While the performances have been widely praised by both fans and critics, the band have opened up about some of the more shambolic moments from their summer on the road.

According to NME, drummer Powell revealed how one particular rehearsal in Hamburg was disrupted when singer Doherty drove the band away from their practice session - having locked them in the camper van he currently lives in.

“While we were looking around he decided to kidnap us and drove off,” Powell told Mojo magazine. “We ended up down the Reeperbahn getting hassled by some prostitutes and watching the football. Hilarious!”

Pete Doherty [L] and Carl Barat [R] at the Hyde Park British Sumertime Gig in London [Getty/Tristan Fewings]

It was also revealed in the interview that the band had only rehearsed ‘for one hour’ ahead of their triumphant headline show at the British Summer Time festival in London’s Hyde Park last month. The band were originally planning to rehearse on the morning of the show, but singer Carl Barat decided to fly in from Paris the day before instead - saying ‘it was probably what the occasion demanded.’

The group performed hits from their back catalogue including ‘Can’t Stand Me Now,’ ‘Up The Bracket,’ and ‘Don’t Look Back Into The Sun’ to a crowd of thousands in Hyde Park.

Speaking about their headlining slot, Barat commented on the Likely Lads’ gloriously chaotic reputation, saying: “I’m not sure if [the performance] was a triumph, but it was certainly unpredictable, as most things with this band always are.”

The group has hinted at releasing a new album next year, although no dates or song titles have been confirmed as yet.

The band, who originally split in 2004 following a series of bust-ups relating to singer Doherty’s substance abuse, will play three consecutive nights at London’s Alexandra Palace in September as part of their first official European tour in a decade.